Chuck vs The Wild Side
by chuckfanDOC
Summary: takes place immediately following Chuck vs. The Geek God. Sarah continues to try to win back Chuck's trust, during a group outing for Morgan's birthday.
1. Chapter 1

A/N This story takes place immediately following Chuck vs The Geek God

A/N This story takes place immediately following Chuck vs The Geek God. I didn't want to say anything until after my first story so I could use this to build angst, but I am a huge Charah fan. I may even be close to what I think you refer to as a shipper (I am not really sure about the use of that term.). I won't say any more than that right now, but keep it in mind.

**Chuck vs. The Wild Side**

Chapter 1

The crew at the Buy More had done a near 180 since their conversation only 48 hours before. "Chuck you are such a sap. Why are you taking her back?" Lester asked in disbelief. "I mean a few months ago I wouldn't have blamed you because I would have thought the chance of you landing another hottie like her would be slim to none. But Chuck, my man, for some strange reason, that none of us one fully understand, woman continue to throw themselves at your feet."

"Kiss him once and you might understand why," Anna interjected as she walked by.

This earned her a few surprised looks, the most surprised came from Morgan. "You didn't go through with your plan did you? I told you it was a bad idea."

"Don't worry babe, not the whole plan," she smiled at Morgan. "We stopped short of his bedroom." This left Morgan with a less than enthusiastic look on his face and caused Chuck to drop his head on to the desk. As usual he struck his head on the desk and then grabbed his forehead. _Why do I do that?_ He thought to himself.

Morgan was just about to ask Chuck what Anna had meant when Jeff got all of their attentions. "Uh oh, here comes the she-devil now."

Chuck looked to the front entrance seeing the beautiful tall blonde walking through the door. She looked around until she spotted Chuck. As soon as she saw him she broke into a large smile, though the smile quickly turned into a concerned look. She knew that he was still upset at her.

Seeing her smile had an immediate and uncontrollable impact on Chuck. His heart rate increased and he felt warm all over, though he was able to suppress his smile to a slight grin. He hated himself for continuing to allow her to affect him like this. _It is not real. She is not your girlfriend. She does not care about you._

Sarah walked up to the nerd herd desk with two small packages in her hand.

"Hi," Sarah was uncharacteristically timid. She was unsure what kind of reaction she was going to get from Chuck this morning.

"Hi," Chuck sounded unsure in his own response to Sarah.

Realizing that people were watching and she was unlikely to get any other response from Chuck, Sarah decided to continue with her reason for stopping over. That is, the reason she was telling everyone else. Her real reason was the fact that she was being eaten up inside due to the way she and Chuck had left things. "I know that Morgan's birthday is not until tomorrow, but I thought I would drop off his gift today. It may help clear up some of the things that happened yesterday."

Morgan, hearing that she was here to give him a gift, instantly forgot that he was upset. "A gift for me? You didn't have to do that," he was already reaching for the small present that Sarah had begun to hand him. He tore the package open like a child on Christmas. When he got to the point that he could see what was under the wrapping, he stopped. His eyes the largest anyone had ever seen them, a small tear running down his cheek. Everyone was eerily quite until Lester asked what it was. Morgan could not respond, he simply turned the package around. Gasps came from all those standing around the desk, including Chuck.

"It is the Holy Grail," Jeff whispered.

"Call of Duty 5," Morgan had barely regained his voice enough to get it out. "This is not supposed to come out for another 6 months, how did you…" all eyes turned to Sarah who was giving them a sheepish smile.

"I knew, well Chuck told me, that the game was ready for release, but they were waiting to release it to build anticipation. So when I heard Chuck talking about Chip…Mr. Isidore," she didn't want to sound too comfortable with Chip's name in front of Chuck, "I thought I could talk him into getting me one early."

"She is a she-devil, but she uses her power for good and not evil," Jeff said in a haunted tone.

Morgan could not restrain himself anymore, as he embraced Sarah in a bear hug that trapped her arms at her side. She smiled awkwardly and looked at Chuck, and then at a none too pleased Anna.

"Okay buddy, why don't you guys go fire it up on the wall," Chuck said, not even getting the entire idea out before the rest of the crew was in a dead sprint away, with Morgan yelling "thank you" back over his shoulder as he ran excitedly away.

"Thank you, I know he loves his gift. I am pretty sure you made his decade. It was also good for our cover," Chuck added quietly.

"Though it is important to maintain our cover, it is also nice to do something for him because I want to," Sarah was hoping that Chuck would understand what she was saying. "I also got a copy for you," as she pulled the other package out of the bag. I thought maybe we could get together tonight and you could teach me how to play."

"I don't know. I told Morgan we could hang out just the two of us tonight."

Morgan, who had come back to the desk to get Tang's universal remote, overheard this. "Dude, she can come over. Besides being the coolest person in the world right now, she wants to play games. Besides you guys have had a rough couple of days. I will see you tonight Sarah," and he went running back to the wall.

Sarah didn't say anything, while she waited for Chuck's response. "I guess I will see you tonight then," he didn't smile when he said this. Typically Sarah would have just said she understood and given him an out, but she needed to fix this and she was really starting to miss Chuck already.

"Actually I will probably see you before that though. You are coming over for lunch right?"

"Um…No I have something I have to do," Chuck was looking at the floor when he said this.

"What would that be?" Sarah was unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"I have an appointment for a hair cut."

"Why are you cutting your hair? I love your curls. They are…" Sarah had reacted a little more emphatically that she had intended, but was interrupted.

"Adorable, kind of like you thought Chips were?" Chuck's anger beginning to show itself again.

Sarah remembered saying that to Chip. She was devastated. She had thought they were nice, but mostly because it made her think of Chuck's unruly hair. "Chuck I really do love you hair, please don't cut it. I…" Sarah had dropped her head and had started to cry, which surprised Chuck. He had just started to feel the full anger returning from the past few days, and now he was completely disarmed. He hated to see her like this whether it was an act or not.

"I have to go," Chuck said as he started to walk away. "Thanks for the game, I will see you tonight at Ellie's."

Sarah turned and walked out to the Orange Orange while the tears continued.

Both Sarah and Chuck were miserable all morning. Sarah sat in the nearly empty store alone all morning. The store was empty as no one was in the mood for a slushy on a colder rainy day. The weather only added to her somber mood. She had spent the entire morning trying to figure out what she could do to win back Chuck's trust. She was having a great deal of difficulty because the store was so quiet it was hard for her not to reminisce over something Chuck had said or done. This only made her feel more depressed at the thought of losing Chuck, not her asset or the intersect, but Chuck. She loved to be around him, the way he made her laugh, and the way he made her feel. She had never felt more at home than when she was at the Bartowski's, not even before she joined the CIA. She loved the feeling of having friends and family that care about her, and more importantly someone that truly loved her. And not because she had manipulated him into it, but because she had allowed him to get to know her better than anyone else has in years. She was going to think of something. What, she just didn't know yet.

Chuck had spent all morning looking for some quiet. Even the cage had become unsafe today as Big Mike had made the herders take their gaming off of the main floor. He was walking aimlessly around the store with his head hung low, when he ran into Casey.

"Watch it Bartowski!"

"Sorry Casey," the sad tone not going unnoticed by the NSA agent. Chuck looked up at Casey and decided to ask him for advice, "Casey you are pretty much a robot. What I mean is on a mission," Chuck changed his wording as not to anger Casey. "How are you able to put other people's feeling aside like that. I mean when you know, or at least think you know, you are hurting someone's feelings but it has to be done. How do you do that?" Chuck had rambled on.

Casey looked at Chuck as if trying to analyze what he was really asking. "You can't," he replied.

"Yes you can, I have seen you do it countless times," Chuck rebuffed.

"Yes I can, you can't. It is just not how you are wired," Casey softened slightly as he continued. "I know that our world is kind of hard on you, and I may be hard on you about not being strong enough. Many times you are not." Casey held up his hand to stop Chuck from arguing as he said this. "But, fact of the matter is, there are some things about you that make surviving in our world very difficult. If you change those things you would be a better spy, but you would be losing who you are. You care more about the well-being of others more than you do your own, this is one of the reasons that your family, the morons at the Buy More, and even _others_ care about you." The way Casey said others made Chuck curious, but any hopes of further explanation were gone when Casey turned and walked away. Besides it was nearly his lunch break and he had to go. He walked into the break room and looked in the mirror, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. He was just so confused.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews

**Thanks for the reviews. Please keep letting me know what you think.**

**Chapter 2**

That night Chuck came walking up to Ellie's apartment with his shoulders hung low and his feet dragging as he walked. He had seen Sarah's car, and that the Morgan door had been left open, so he knew his guests had beaten him home. As he opened the door he saw Sarah talking to Ellie while Morgan was moving the XBOX 360 to the big screen in the living room.

"Hey buddy, Ellie said we can play out here on the new tv." Morgan's comment got the attention of the women in the room.

Sarah looked over at Chuck and smiled. He had not gotten his hair cut. She was hoping that meant that she had gotten through to him today. "I thought you were getting your hair cut today," Ellie asked. Sarah couldn't help but look at Ellie, a little upset.

"I was going to but…but big Mike had me too busy all day." He showed no emotion as he said so. "I think I am going to try again later in the week." Truth of the matter is he could not decide if he wanted to do it or not and just skipped the appointment.

Sarah was crushed. She had not reached him after all, or so she thought. She was unable to respond and could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "If you would excuse me, I need to use the restroom," Sarah had to leave before anyone saw her cry.

Sarah came back from the bathroom to find Chuck and Morgan already completely enthralled with the game. Ellie was sitting at the table watching. "Hey Sarah, I was wondering if you would like to go shopping with me tomorrow morning. I need a new swim suite before we head to the beach tomorrow for Morgan's birthday party."

Morgan yelled back without taking his attention from the screen, "Birthday party makes it sound like I am 10, it is Morgan's birthday Beach Bash 2008."

"My bad," Ellie laughed. "Anyway I need a new suite, you want to go."

Sarah remembered being told about the party last week, but Chuck had not mentioned anything since. She was not even sure she was still invited. "I don't know Ellie, I am not sure I am going to make it." She looked at Chuck hoping for a response. Chuck looked at her as he walked to the kitchen to get more sodas, but he did not really respond.

"Of course you are going to go," Ellie demanded. "I need someone there to talk to. You will be my only real friend there."

"Hey!" Morgan acted hurt by her comment.

"Besides Morgan," Ellie added though not too enthused.

Sarah looked at Chuck who then nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"Then we can go check out some suites at around 9. I want to know that if I am going to be parading around half naked all day that I will be able to keep Devon's attention where I want it."

Sarah knew that this choice of words was not helping her situation with Chuck, but was saved from any further remarks when she heard Morgan, "Damn it. I died."

"What happened you were doing so well?" Chuck asked.

"I don't know. I was going along fine then I hear Ellie say something about being half naked and boom…Dead."

Everyone laughed, though Chuck's laugh stopped short when he made eye contact with Sarah.

The night continues on and Ellie finally gives in and goes to bed. Sarah was getting tired but was determined to talk to Chuck before going home. Morgan had just begun his most recent solo mission, when Sarah decided to try get Chuck alone.

"Can we go get some air?" She asked Chuck.

He looked nervous but decided to go. They walked out to the fountain in the courtyard.

Sarah really had not figured out what she was going to say, "Tonight was fun. That game is actually not too bad. It's not as much fun as shooting the real thing but hey." She just smiled at Chuck. "And at least you found something that you can beat me in," still no response. Chuck was fidgeting and not making eye contact. He was nervous.

"Chuck what can I say to fix this?"

"There is nothing to say. I know what you only did what you needed to do. I don't blame you and am not mad at you. Well…I am still a little mad, but I'll get over that. You were just doing your job."

"Chuck I was not just doing my job. I do care what happens to you the person, not just the asset."

"I wish I could believe that. I just don't know how to."

"I am telling you the truth."

"That's the thing Sarah. How do I know you are telling me the truth? If someone has been lying to you and you ask them if they are lying. They can say no, and that is just the most recent lie. You are so good at making people think whatever you want them to. I don't know what to believe."

"I don't know what to say or do, so I will just say this. I am not lying to you and I am going to continue to show you that I do care about you until you can trust me again." There was a sincerity in her voice that was beginning to get to Chuck.

Chuck was about to respond when the door to the apartment opened. "Sorry to interrupt you two but I am going to head home," came Morgan.

"Done already? I thought you would be crashing here tonight?" Chuck asked.

"Well, I am getting some serious cramps in my hands so complete annihilation of my enemies will have to wait till tomorrow, and I would have crashed here but I need to get some things together for the bash which may just go down as the greatest day in history." Chuck just smiled and patted Morgan on the shoulder as he passed him. When Morgan got to Sarah he looked as if he were going to say something then just hugged her in much the same way he did earlier, though this hug was not as long. "Thank you so much, you are the best."

"Your welcome Morgan happy birthday," Sarah smiled at him.

Morgan walked away and Chuck took the opportunity to end the conversation for the night. "I am going to go to bed to. I guess I will see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sarah had taken a small step towards Chuck to kiss him on the cheek like she normally would when she left, but he recoiled. She dejectedly looked at the ground and turned to walk to her car as Chuck sadly walked into the apartment.

Sarah sat in her car thinking before she could bring herself to leave. A year ago things would have been very different. She would have thrown herself at Chuck making it impossible to resist her to give her control over her asset. Then again, a year ago Chuck would have never been this stubborn. _Well maybe stubborn is a poor word choice_. He is just so much stronger now. He proved to be brave the first night they met when he defused the bomb, but that was different. He was only ever strong or brave when someone else was in danger. When it came to his own safety or in resisting her he was…well he was not so brave or strong. He was adorable to be sure, but not exactly confident in himself. Now, Casey has even mentioned that the "Kid seems to be growing somewhat of a spine," of course never in front of Chuck. The thought brought a smile to her face. He was still the sweet and innocent man she met, but now he was developing an inner strength that was making him even more attractive to her. He would still gush over her when he first saw her, and she hoped that that would never change, but she liked that he could stand up for himself. She allowed her head to fall forward hitting the top of her steering wheel. "Ow," she chuckled as she rubbed her forehead. That was the same thing Chuck would have done. She was falling for him, and falling hard. _I'm in trouble _She thought to herself.

If Chuck was confused before, he was down right baffled now. She really seemed sincere when she said she cared and that she was going to keep showing him until he could trust her again. He wanted so much to believe her. He wanted so much to have her care about him. He walked to his bedroom and flopped face first onto his bed, letting out a large sigh as he did so. He knew that he couldn't stand to be sloe to her for too long or his will power would disintegrate into nothing. He was lucky that Morgan came out when he did. He was not sure what he would have said, but he new that she still had way to much control of him. She still had way too much…of his heart. _I'm in trouble _he thought to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**I am posting this at the same time as Chapter 2 so make sure you don't miss that one. I think my writing may be hard enough to follow let alone if you had missed a chapter. :)**

**Chapter 3**

The next morning Chuck woke still lying in the same position he had collapsed in the night before. He got up and finally took of his work shirt he had worn since yesterday morning. He was down to his boxers making his way to the shower, when he realized someone else was in the hallway. Chuck lifted his groggy head to realize that it was Sarah.

"Hey," Chuck was surprised and a little embarrassed. He was trying subtly yet awkwardly to cover his entire torso with his arms. "What are...I mean good morning."

Sarah had blushed a little as well when she first saw Chuck. She must admit she did like seeing this much of him, but his reaction was what got to her. There it was. Chuck was flustered when he saw her, this was the reaction that she had been missing for the past few days. She felt a flicker of hope. "Ellie and I are going to go suite shopping today before we go to the beach, remember," she said this loud enough that Ellie would hear. She then leaned in and whispered into his ear. "When we heard you moving around Ellie would have been suspicious if I didn't come back to say good morning." Chuck felt a shiver start at his ear and overtake his entire body when he felt her breath on his ear, a large smile overtook his face. He was able to suppress it just a little as he quickly turned to walk into the bathroom, "Ya, I guess she would have." He looked back over his shoulder as he shut the door. Sarah, who had noticed the smile, turned to walk back to the kitchen, with a smile on her face. Today was going to be a good day.

Chuck walked into the kitchen about 15 minutes later. The girls were just gathering their things preparing to leave. "We will be back by 11:00, don't leave without us," Ellie winked at Chuck as she walked towards the door.

"I will see you soon. I can't wait to spend the day with you." Sarah said as she kissed him in the Cheek. "I mean that," she whispered smiling at Chuck before hurrying to catch up to Ellie.

Chuck didn't say anything. He was actually pretty proud of himself for not just melting to the floor when she kissed him, but his heart was racing. The last few days had made it hard to tell the difference between his heart racing due to anger or excitement. Either way, there was no denying that Sarah could still elicit one heck of a response from him. He didn't really have much time to think about it. At that moment he heard Morgan walking from his room toward the kitchen. "Hey buddy, happy birthday."

"Thank you my good man." Morgan was carrying a long cardboard tube along with a duffle bag that seemed to be bursting at the seams.

"What do you have there?"

"Everything needed to make this the greatest birthday in the history of birthdays." He popped open the tube and pulled out what looked like a map of the beach, an itinerary, an official looking permit, what looked like extensive blue-prints for a sand castle, and other random typed papers that were covered in additional notes in Morgan's hand writing. "I have been up since 6 this morning making sure that this day goes off without a hitch."

"6! You didn't leave here until almost 2. What have you been doing?"

"Well I went to the beach and strategically blocked off a prime piece of real estate. I also claimed the best site for a bon-fire for this evening. I wanted to be close to the water and yet allow a buffer to prevent any of the beach jocks or muscle heads from ruining our fun." Chuck laughed because he knew that Morgan was even more uncomfortable around the "Pretty people" at the beach than he was.

"What about the bag?"

"It is full of every beach game and sand toy you can think of." Morgan had a sense of pride as he said this. "Today is going to be awesome, in the words of the Captain."

"Even still why don't we just hang out here for a bit till the girls get back, or else you are going to be too tired to enjoy your own birthday party."

"No can due my friend, I am going to head to the beach to make sure no one encroaches on our turf. I just wanted to see if you could bring the duffle bag when you come to the beach. It is a little to much to carry on my bike."

"No problem. I guess I will see you in a couple hours then." Chuck smiled

"Sounds good, you just be ready for a great time," and just like that Morgan was out the door.

Chuck decided to walk over to Casey's apartment to check in. The apartment was suddenly to quiet as Devon was the only person in the apartment and he was still asleep following a late shift at the hospital. Chuck knocked on the door, only to hear the door unlock. He turned the knob and walked in.

"What do you want Bartowski?" Casey was sitting at the table cleaning his guns.

"Good Morning to you too." Chuck had gotten used to Casey's less than articulate communication skills. "It was just a little too quiet over there," chuck motioned to his apartment. "Thought I would come over here and help get you pumped for the beach."

"Ya, that is not happening," Casey didn't even look at Chuck when he said it.

"Oh, I can motivate people. Just look at the crew at work. It takes major motivational skills to keep them from burning the place down, let alone do any work." This earned him a grunt of agreement from Casey.

"No, I'm not going to the beach. Today is my day off. No baby-sitting for me."

"What, come on big guy? It's going to be fun. I mean you probably won't get to shoot anyone, but it will still be a good time."

"I seriously doubt that, don't worry you won't need me. Your girlfriend will keep you safe."

"Ya." The very short answer was enough to get even Casey's attention.

He could tell something was wrong, and that it had something to do with Walker. Usually the less he knew about those two the better, however this had been dragging on for the last couple days. He convinced himself that if he were to ask Chuck about what was bothering him it would be to prevent the problem from interfering with the team. After all, Chuck nearly blew their cover on their last mission because he was in a tizzy over Walker hanging all over Chip. He, of course, didn't _really_ care what the kid was going through. Yes, he would ask just to try to get the kid back to his annoying yet at least functional self, even though he knew he was going to regret it.

"What no come back, what did Walked do this time?" Casey asked looking back down at his guns. He wanted to suck the words back into his mouth as soon as he had said them. This was a mistake.

Chuck was shocked by the question. It was the first time that Casey actually encouraged him to talk about what was bothering him. He had inadvertently gotten advice from Casey in the past, but it was always cryptic and never just freely given. "Well…uh, I just…"

"Just spit it out." Casey figured there was no getting out of this now. He may as well get it over with as soon as possible_. Please just don't talk to me about sleeping with Walker. _ This thought crossing his mind for the first time.

"Well, I just don't know how you guys do it, that's all. How do you know when someone is lying and when someone is telling the truth?"

"Everyone is usually lying, assume they are and you will do alright." Casey could tell that this was not the answer he was looking for. "That doesn't mean that all lies are bad, sometimes people lie to protect others."

"So Sarah is lying about caring about me to control me for my own good?" Chuck had raised his voice just a little.

Casey chuckled and shook his head. _This kid is either a lot dumber than I gave him credit for or is as blind as a bat_. "I can't speak for Walker, but I can say that if she were trying to control you by making you fall for her she has not done a very good job." Chuck looked at Casey with a very confused expression. Casey continued, "How many times have you actually stayed in the car? How many times have you disobeyed orders? Didn't you just go rushing head first into a terrorist's house because you thought Walker was in trouble?" Chuck was looking at the floor slightly nodding his head. "Doesn't sound like she has much control over you to me."

Though it was a good point, Chuck had not gotten any real answers. He attempted to ask another question, but Casey made it very clear that he could either pick up a cloth and start quietly polishing one of the knives lying on the table, Casey didn't trust him with a gun after accidentally shooting a man, or go home. He decided to head back over to his room to get ready for the day. As he walked out, Casey glanced in his direction shaking his head, _And just think. He isn't half as messed up about this as she is._

Ellie and Sarah got back from their shopping trip right on time. Chuck figured that that had to have been the result of Sarah being along. Ellie would have never been on time returning from shopping. They came through the door with a couple of small bags each, both laughing and smiling. That was another thing that Chuck had always hoped was real. He loved to see Sarah and Ellie getting along so well. I would be so nice for Ellie to have a connection like that with his girlfriend…that is a girlfriend that was really his girlfriend.

Sarah smiled at Chuck when she came through the door. He managed a small smile in return. It was not the large goofy smile that Sarah was hoping for, but it was an improvement over the past few days.

"It looks like you guys had fun," Chuck directed his question to Ellie.

"It was a blast! I could have stayed at the shops all day, but Sarah just couldn't seem to wait to get back to you." Ellie smiled at Chuck as she said this. Chuck glanced at Sarah who was blushing and then at the floor. Ellie looked at both of them and lightly shook her head, "You two are just too cute."

After a few awkward seconds, Ellie decided it was time to show the boys, as Devon had now joined them, the fruits of their labors. Ellie went first pulling out what Chuck described as "a few small pieces of cloth held together with string." When Ellie held the bathing suite against her, Devon's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Ellie seemed very pleased with her self, and winked at Sarah who just smiled. Next it was Sarah's turn. She lifted one of her bags and pulled out a yellow sun dress. Devon and Chuck both had confused looks on their faces.

"Sarah, you do realize we are going to the beach not out to lunch," Devon asked.

Ellie smacked him in the arm. "I mean it is awesome but I thought you were going to get swim suites." Devon had tried to save himself.

Sarah looked at Chuck, who had only responding by cocking his head to the side and continuing to look confused. "I have a lot of suites already, This is a beach dress for over my suit. Sometimes it is nice to not feel like everyone is staring at you when you are half-naked." Chuck new that Sarah was used to people staring at her. He was even getting used to the reaction she got from men. It really didn't bother him all that much when they stared. Who could blame them? He knew that her reasoning did not seem to fit, but decided to hold off on asking questions.

Devon had accepted her reasoning, thinking that she was just a little more shy than he had realized, and had turned his attention back to Ellie. "Maybe we should go for a run before we leave for the beach," and he winked at her. Ellie laughed and shook her head and said there was no time for that, and started walking toward their room to change. Never being one to give up without a fight Devon followed along pinching her behind, causing her to run to their room giggling.

Sarah and Chuck both watched with smiles on their faces. They turned and looked at each other and felt suddenly awkward. Chuck broke the silence. "Your dress is very pretty."

Sarah took a step closer to him. "I wanted you to feel more comfortable around me today. I didn't want you to think I was trying to use my body as a weapon." She had started out looking into his eyes, but her head had fallen to the floor as she spoke.

"I uh…thanks." Chuck really didn't know what else to say.

They really didn't say all that much as they got ready to leave. They were a little late leaving as it seemed Devon had seemed to convince Ellie to "go for a run" before leaving. Finally though they all hopped into Ellie's car and made it to the beach by a little after one. Chuck knew from looking at the map earlier with Morgan about where he would be. They made their way over carrying a cooler, the duffle bag, and some chairs. The cite Morgan had staked out was really quite a sight. A section of the beach had been taped off with police tape with chairs and blankets arranged all facing the middle of the area. Lying on one of the chairs was Morgan who was sound asleep, which made Chuck smile. It looked as he had been sleeping there since soon after he had arrived. As the group got closer Chuck's smile faded a little. Morgan must have fallen asleep while the sun was blocked by his beach umbrella, though by now he was in the full sun. By the bright pink shade of his skin, it looked like he had been in the sun for quite some time. Chuck stepped over the police line and walked to Morgan's side. "Hey buddy, wake up."

"Hey man, welcome to the beach bash to end all beach bashes." Morgan started out a little groggy but was excited to see the others arrive.

"Morgan, did you put on sun screen?" Ellie asked with concern in her voice.

"I was waiting until someone got here to give me a hand, winking at Ellie. Why do you…" It was at this point that Morgan looked down at his chest. "Oh man, that can not be good."

Devon took a look at Morgan and determined that he should not have any serious problems but he needed to get out of the sun. "It is going to hurt like crazy, but in a couple of days you will be awesome. We just need to get you out of the sun."

"Ah man. I have a whole day planned. There is no way I am going home now." After much debate the group agreed to stay at the beach as long as Morgan stayed completely out of the sun the rest of the day. He was not happy but at least he would get to hang out with everyone, do the bonfire that evening, and there was the fact that the girls all seemed to be a little nicer than usual. About an hour later Anna arrived. She had had the morning shift at Buy More and come over soon after. Chuck had been sitting next to Morgan to keep him company while Ellie and Sarah had taken a walk and Devon was out body surfing. Anna seemed very content to stay with Morgan and rub aloe on him. Morgan seemed ok with this plan as well, so Chuck decided to go for a walk up the beach.

He had been walking for about 20 minutes when he was steam rolled by three very large men one of which was carrying a football.

"Dude are you okay?" came a voice from the very blurry man standing over Chuck.

"Um ya I…I'm good, I'm good. I must not have been paying attention." As Chuck tried to stand up. The man reached down to give him a hand as Chuck heard a more familiar voice.

"Chuck, are you okay?" She was running up to Chuck's side as she yelled. Sarah had gotten back to the chairs shortly after Chuck had left. Morgan had told her that he went for a walk, and she decided to catch up. She had nearly caught up when she decided to just walk behind him a little ways and watch him for a minute. He was obviously deep in thought, and she wanted to give him just a little longer, besides she liked to just watch him. Chuck did not notice the large football game being played as he walked right into their make shift field and he never even heard the people yelling "look out" as the large men were running towards him

Chuck had just about shaken the cobwebs from his mind when he finally saw the man who had helped him up. His eyes glazed over, revealing pictures of a surfboard, a drug lab, the guy shooting another man, the name Billy Wave, and a large stack of money.

The man took the glassy look in chuck's eyes as the after effect of being run over. "Well man, at least you know you can take a hit."

Chuck just smiled very nervously at the man, as Sarah who had just arrived at his side asked again, "Chuck are you ok?"

"Ya, I'm ok. This guy and his friends just had me SEEING STARS for a second." He was hoping that she would pick up what he was saying. She looked at him for a second as if to ask if he was sure. He nodded ever so slightly and thought to himself s_o much for a day at the beach_.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

"You sure you're alright bro?" The very large, very tan man asked Chuck. Chuck really wasn't ok. Then again, who would be okay if they had just realized that they had been inadvertently tackled by a drug dealer/cold blooded killer? He was able to hide the fact that he was freaking out just long enough for Sarah to take the lead.

"I am sure he is fine." She gave the man a dazzling smile, which he had no option but reciprocate. "He is a lot tougher than he looks," now looking at Chuck.

"Um, ya I'm fine. Sorry about ruining your game."

The man seemed friendly, though Chuck was still uncomfortable. "Ah no biggie, I think it was about half-time anyway. My name is Billy."

"I am Chuck and this is Sarah."

"Cool to meet you both." Billy was looking over Sarah, "And Sarah is your…" He stopped to give them a chance to finish his sentence. Chuck did not reply as he was both uncomfortable with the question at this particular time as well as unsure of how Sarah would want to approach this situation. Fortunately Sarah jumped in to answer the question for him.

"Girlfriend, I am his girlfriend," as she put her arm around Chuck and smiled.

Chuck was a little surprised by her answer. Billy was obviously interested in Sarah. _That is no surprise though. She is Sarah and he is…well…breathing_. She normally would have used this to her advantage, working her way close to him and then taking him down. That is what she does oh so well, isn't it? _Is she doing this for me or is there another reason?_

"Really, would not have guessed," Billy did not attempt to hide his surprise that this nerd was with such a beautiful woman. Though upon seeing that neither were thrilled with his reaction he was quick to add, "How did she get lucky enough to land a guy that can take a hit like that?" His joke seemed friendly, but despite the large smile he was wearing there was an uncomfortable chill that originated from his eyes.

Chuck made an attempt to smile at Billy's joke, but was unable to suppress a small shiver in response to the man's gaze. Chuck replied with a nervous laugh, "It may be difficult to imagine but she does have a few redeeming qualities herself."

Sarah slapped him on the arm and everyone laughed. Billy then explained that he and his friends were going to be hanging out a while and invited them to join them for a drink. Sarah had told him that they would love to join them but needed to run back to their own friends first. she promised that they would stop back for the drink soon.

As they walked along the beach to the area where the rest of Bartowski and company were sitting, Chuck informed Sarah of everything he had on Billy Wave. He was a major player in the So. Cal. drug game. He was known for the introduction of new drugs. The most recent drug that he was responsible for was called Wild Side. It was a stimulant that eliminated the users' inhibitions. The users generally had no fear of any consequences of their words or actions. Billy was known to be in charge of distribution and believed to be in charge of production of the drugs as well. Unfortunately, only a few people have ever stepped up to testify against him, and they always found a way to end up dead.

Sarah seeing that Chuck was beginning to freak out again decided to inform him of the plan to help calm him down.

"When we get back to our stuff I want you to get your phone and call Casey. Have him take position behind Billy's group. Tell him to park in the parking lot and bring his rifle. I will buy us some time from the rest of the group. I would say that you could just stay behind, but I need you to come along to see if there is anyone else that you flash on. She knew by the look on his face that he would have loved to stay with his family. Don't worry though. We will go take care of Billy and be back before you know it. Her smile did not seem to help him feel any better.

They had walked for a few more minutes before Chuck broke the silence. "Billy seemed interested in you, why did you tell him that we were together. I thought you would have just batted you eyes, gave him that smile…you know, get close to him." Chuck was fishing for some answers.

Sarah was mentally preparing herself for the mission and was nearly in full blown agent mode. The warm smiles that she had been giving Chuck to reassure him were becoming less frequent the longer they walked. Before she could stop herself she responded. "I could not take the chance that one of your friends or family would walk down the beach and blow our cover. I still may need to get close to him, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would be too concerned about me having a boyfriend." Sarah looked at Chuck as she was finishing. She could see that Chuck was hoping for a different answer but was not surprised by the one she gave. He didn't ask her any other questions, dropping the issue. Sarah would normally have had no problem letting the conversation die there and refocusing on the mission at hand, normally that is. Nowadays nothing seemed normal. She sighed and added, "I also did not want to make you uncomfortable if it can be avoided. I meant what I said about trying to re-earn your trust." Chuck had grinned and nodded when she said this.

Upon returning to the rest of the group Chuck called Casey. He was not happy that his day off was being interrupted until chuck mentioned bringing his rifle. Chuck was surprised that Casey didn't even take the time to insult him before hanging up. _He really does get excited about gun play_.

Sarah had told the rest of the group that she and Chuck needed to have some time alone for a while, and smiled. Chuck, on the phone at the time, had not heard Sarah's conversation with the rest of the group. As he hung up his phone Sarah discreetly grabbed her gun and a few throwing knives from her bag and quickly led Chuck away from the rest of the group. As they walked away Chuck could hear Devon and Morgan yelling, "You go Chuck. OOOWWWWW you dog." Chuck just looked back and smiled, which only made the other two start chanting, "Chuck, Chuck, Chuck."

"What did you tell them?" Chuck asked Sarah.

She smiled and blushed slightly, "nothing really."

As Sarah and Chuck were approaching Billy and his friends Sarah tried to reassure Chuck one last time. She reached out her hand taking his. "Remember we only need to get close to Billy to see if we can learn anything. I doubt that there is anything even going down here today. You just keep an eye out and let me know if you flash on anyone." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at him. The brief moment was interrupted when they heard Billy call their names as he waved them over to where he stood.

He was standing next to a series of coolers containing both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

"Hey Sarah, Chuck. Glad to see you guys could make it back. Would you guys like a drink?"

"Nothing for me," replied Sarah.

"I'll take a soda, whatever kind you have." Chuck was about to reach into the cooler when Billy stopped him.

"Ah, let me get that for you. You are after all my guests." He grabbed a soda and poured the contents into a plastic cup. Chuck and Sarah both failed to notice that Billy had also dropped a couple small bright yellow tablets into the cup as well. "Here you go," as he handed the cup to Chuck with the same smile and cold eyes that Chuck had noticed earlier. "So what do you do Chuck?"

"I own a small software company, you know just a regular computer nerd."

"That sounds…interesting." The sarcasm in Billy's voice was not hard to find. "What about you Sarah?"

"I am an aspiring actress. I moved to California about a year ago to try to make it, just have not had my big break yet." Sarah smiled again at Billy. She was not overtly flirting, though she was making sure to maintain Billy's interest in her.

"A beautiful girl like yourself, your big break is bound to happen." Billy was staring directly into Sarah's eyes.

Chuck felt like he should say or do something. He felt like he was a third wheel. Should he act protective of his "Girlfriend" or continue to be friendly. Just as he felt like the silent moment was going to cause him to burst, he was rescued. Billy had noticed some other people walking toward the group out of the corner of his eye. His attention had shifted from Sarah to a group of four men that were not dressed for the beach. One man, whom the other three seemed to be following, was dressed in khaki slacks, dress shoes, and a white button up shirt. The other three, larger men were dressed in black. Chuck flashed as soon as he saw the man in the white shirt, seeing a series of images.

Billy's expression was now fully exposing the cold look that had been barely visible the rest of the afternoon. He looked back at Sarah trying to muster a small smile, though this was difficult as his jaw was clinched tightly. "Please excuse me for a moment."

"That is Julio Vasquez. He is, or was, Billy's largest competitor in the LA area. He has more muscle in his operation but has been unable to compete without having access to the new drugs that Billy has been selling," Chuck whispered into Sarah's ear. After saying this Chuck felt a little light-headed and swayed slightly. Sarah, who had been watching Billy and Julio very intently, noticed Chuck sway.

"Are you ok?" She made no attempt to hide the concern in her voice.

"Ya, I'm fine. I guess I am just a little light headed from flashing after being on the beach all day." He had gathered himself and they both returned their attention to Billy who was speaking to Julio. His body language portrayed a very agitated state.

"I guess there is going to be something going down today." Sarah whispered to Chuck. Chuck looked at her with a confused look on his face as she continued, "Julio is saying something about an exchange at 6 o'clock or else. He also said that he will be back then and he had better not be disappointed." She realized that Chuck was still not sure how she knew this. "I can read lips. I am not great at it, but I can get by in a pinch."

Chuck smiled and shook his head. "You really are amazing…I mean at your job," he added as he tried to control his smile. _Damn it, what made me say that? I really can't be letting her get to me like this, especially when we are surrounded by people that would kill us if they had any idea who we really are_.

Sarah had appreciated the compliment even if it were a slip of the tongue. She decided not to make it any harder are on Chuck than he already was and just focused her attention on the two drug kingpins, though she now did so with a slight smile. "That means we only have a couple hours until the deal goes down. We can just hang out here until then. We should be able to get back in time for the bonfire with your family."

Billy was angry when he first turned to walk away from Julio, though he was making a considerable effort to control his emotions by the time he reached Chuck and Sarah. "Sorry about that, my business partner doesn't seem to understand the concept of a day off at the beach."

"What do you and your partner do?" Sarah voice sounded as innocent as could be.

"We sell extreme sports equipment as well as other recreational supplies."

"Extreme sports, huh?" Chuck asked trying to make conversation. "What did you think of the City of Angles iron man competition last week?"

Billy looked at Chuck surprised, as did Sarah. "I actually competed in it, and you?"

"Well, it is obvious by looking at me that I didn't compete but my company was a sponsor. I am more of a fan of extreme sports that a participant. I did think though, that the event was relatively well run, however the transition stations could have been a little better organized." Chuck was doing his best to remember what Awesome had told him after competing in the race.

"I completely agree. Maybe next year they will get it right." Billy looked at Chuck a little more attentively. He had apparently underestimated the geek.

Chuck was able to carry on a conversation with Billy for the next half hour about extreme sports competitions in the area. He was never more appreciative of Awesome's desire to involve him in his death defying escapades. Since Chuck was never willing to go along, Awesome would always fill him in on every detail when he returned.

Billy had eventually left to mingle with some of the other people gathered at the party, leaving Sarah a minute to speak to Chuck privately. She had been impressed with Chuck's ability to carry on a conversation in this situation without being nervous at all. Sarah took Chuck's hand and led him a short distance away from the group. "That was pretty impressive Chuck. I am guessing that we have Devon to thank for the conversation fodder."

"Yep. Of course it didn't take much to fool Billy. He is not very smart, though he does seem to have good taste in women." As Chuck said this he looked at Sarah. Chuck was swaying slightly as he spoke. Sarah noticed the swaying as well as the unusual tone in Chuck's voice. She knew he had not been drinking, but Chuck was not acting like himself.

"Are sure you are ok?"

"Ya, actually I feel…Grrrrreat!" Chuck did his best Tony the tiger impression.

"Ok, well the party is starting to break up but the deal doesn't go down for another 45 minutes. I need to be here when it does." Sarah was thinking for a second. "Here is the plan. We are going to have a fight. You are going to leave and I am going to go crying to Billy. I will act like I need a ride home and stick around her until the job is done. I want you to go back to your family and wait there. Casey and I will be able to take care of this. You just need to stay as far away from here as you can. Do you understand?"

"Let me get this straight, I am supposed to act all mad and leave, but instead of being in the car I am going to sit and stay like a good little puppy with Ellie and Morgan. In the mean time you are going to go GET CLOSE to yet another guy that doesn't deserve to even carry on a conversation with you just because it is your job. You know we should really start using the cover of me as your pimp and not your boyfriend, as that may be more accurate in these situations."

Smack! Sarah had slapped Chuck so hard that he had spun to his right and fallen to the sand. Sarah's face reflected some anger but much more so hurt. Everyone nearby turned to look at the couple including Billy, who smiled a knowing smile. Sarah realizing that everyone was watching turned and ran away from Chuck with real tears streaming down her face.

Chuck not really sure what was going on, stood up and looked around. He didn't understand why Sarah had hit him, or if it was all a part of the plan. He didn't like seeing her cry whether it was an act or not. He wanted to go after her and make sure that it was a part of the act, but decided to follow instructions. Besides if he went to talk to her now she may feel the need to sell the story and hit him again. He turned and slowly staggered down the beach.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Casey had been watching from his car, sniper rifle at the ready. "Holy hell Walker, nice slap." He was unable to hear anything that had been said. He was only aware of a brief outline of the plan, as well as the specifics on the meeting, that Sarah had texted him when no one was looking. He had thought Walker had just gotten a little carried away with the act. He realized that he was chuckling and rubbing his own jaw thinking that Chuck was going to be feeling that for quite a while.

Sarah was furious as she ran away from Chuck. She had no idea what had gotten into him. He had never said anything that harsh to her in the past. That slap would not be all Chuck had coming after this was over, but for now she needed to focus on the task at hand. She ran past Billy to an area that was secluded from the others separated by a life guard stand but still visible from the parking lot. Billy taking the bait followed her over and sat next to her in the sand.

"You ok," he softly asked.

"Ya, I'm ok. I'm sorry. You have been so nice and invited us to join you and Chuck gets all jealous and…uh he makes me so angry."

"Jealous? What was he jealous of?"

"Well…you." Sarah answered very bashfully. "He said that I was always looking at you and…I don't know."

Billy's smile grew. "He is just worried because he knows you could do so much better than him. You could have any guy on the beach, and let's face it, he is kind of a nobody."

"Do you think?" It was strange. Even though she was furious at Chuck right now she still had to hide the resentment that she was feeling towards Billy for speaking about Chuck in that way.

"Ya, you don't need some computer geek that doesn't know how to treat a woman. You need someone that can treat you the way you deserve." Sarah couldn't help but fear that that was exactly what Chuck had done. She had hurt him so many times. And god knows, he definitely knew how to treat her. He was the kindest most caring man she had ever known, their last conversation excluded. Their last conversation stuck in her mind. It was so unlike him. He had indirectly called her a call girl. Her anger started to return, when she realized that she hadn't answered Billy, "Ya, I guess you are right. It really is very kind of you to come cheer me up, but I understand if you need to get back to your friends." She looked straight at him with an expression of longing. Though her expression was an act, there was no man that could leave her sitting in the sand alone when she looked at them like that.

"I think they will be fine for a little while," Billy returned her smile. He had just begun to lean in to kiss Sarah when the sound of voices loudly calling his name from somewhere near the group of people could be heard. Billy looked at his watch then back at Sarah. "Would you be able to stick around for a bit. I have some things to take care of, but they should not take long."

"Actually I have to find a ride home, since I came with Chuck."

"Then it is settled. You can hang out over here for just a few minutes and then I can give you a ride anywhere you need to go." Billy stated, not really providing any options, which is exactly what Sarah had anticipated.

"As long as it is no trouble. You have already done so much for me today."

"No trouble at all, but I am going to have to ask you to stay over here. This is just work stuff anyway." Sarah responded to Billy's request with a smile and a nod. He stood and made his way back over to the group of men. Sarah had stayed seated long enough for Billy not to realize she was making her way to where she could keep an eye on the exchange. The men Billy was speaking with were not the same men that had visited him earlier. They seemed to converse more freely, as if they were a part of Billy's crew. There were two men, one of which handed a medium sized duffle bag to Billy. _Those must be the drugs_ Sarah thought.

Within a few minutes Julio and his men arrived as well. He was carrying a briefcase. All together there were seven men, though Sarah had not seen any actual guns, she had determined that everyone other than Billy had a bulge caused by a weapon either under their jacket or their shirts. They should not be a problem to take out once she had enough evidence to make sure that Billy stayed behind bars this time.

"Ok, let's go you impatient bastard I have some things that need my attention." Billy began while walking toward Julio.

"The merchandise that we had discussed?" Julio asked as he pointed to the bag.

"10,000 of the little guys just like we talked about…and the fee as we discussed?" Billy asked as he pointed to the briefcase.

"To the last dollar." As Julio said this Sarah came walking from behind the life guard stand causing Julio to jump and place his hand on his pistol under his jacket though he did not draw it. "Who is she?"

"She is nobody." Billy said with some anger in his voice. "Sarah I thought I told you to stay where you were." Billy had lost the soft tone that he had been using when speaking with Sarah. It was replaced by a sharp edge to his voice that reflected his displeasure at being disobeyed.

"Well, that's the thing Billy. Generally I am pretty good at following orders, though it seems that lately that has become somewhat difficult for me." Sarah drew her gun and pointed it straight at Billy. "Nobody move! I have a very trigger happy partner watching and praying for the chance to shoot any one of you, so it would benefit you all to drop your weapons and put your hands on your heads."

Not believing her Julio began to draw his weapon. There was a single shot and causing him to drop dead with a bullet to the forehead. The rest of the group froze. Sarah continued, "Unless anyone else would like to have a third eye as well I suggest you do as I say." Each of the four remaining armed men dropped their weapon in the sand. One of Billy's men attempted to discreetly drop his weapon close to Billy's feet. Sarah had noticed this out of the corner of her eye. She walked over and slowly bent forward to pick up the gun. As she bent forward Billy suddenly kicked sand in her face, and then dove on top of her. He had guessed correctly that her partner would be unable to get a shot after he had tackled her. The other men all dove for their weapons. Casey had dropped Julio's men before they were able to get to their guns. Billy's men were able to dive behind the life guard stand, one of which was able to grab his gun on the way. He peaked around the corner to fire randomly at the unseen partner. Casey was unable to get a shot for the first few seconds allowing the man to fire off 4 shots in his general direction. The last of which hit his car. "God Damn punks! That was my car." Casey then switched the rifle to fully auto and peppered the building with bullets. One of these bullets penetrating the building and hitting its mark.

Sarah was taken aback by Billy's attack. She was unable to see due to the sand in her eyes. Billy was straddling her before she was able to recover. He landed a blow to her ribs knocking the wind out of her. He was about to strike again when she was able to connect with a randomly thrown punch. The blow was enough to knock him off balance enough for her to reverse their position. Though she was still unable to see she could effectively wrestle with Billy as she was able to stay in contact with his body. He was able to land a few blows in the process but it only took a few seconds of grappling before she was able to get a hold of his arm. Once she was able to do so she grabbed his thumb

and snapped in violently back. Billy's scream alerting Sarah to where his face was, she then landed a viscous elbow causing Billy's body to go limp.

The third man who had also been hiding behind the small structure, remaining unharmed in the gun battle, decided to make a run for it. His route taking him within 20 feet of the still mostly blinded Sarah. With her head following the sound of the running foot steps, in one quick motion she pulled a knife and hit the man square in the chest with a perfect throw before Casey could even get a shot off.

Casey made his way to the beach, already on the phone fore a clean-up crew. As he approached he was hanging up the phone. Sarah had recovered some of her vision as her eyes were able to wash out some of the sand. The first clear image she saw was Casey's smug grin.

"Nice toss Walker," pointing to the dead man with the knife in his chest as he chuckled.

"Ya, you had a couple good shots yourself," pointing to Julio. Casey just smiled and walked over to help Walker stand from her current kneeling position.

"So where is Bartowski, shouldn't he have disobeyed orders and come running in to save you by now?" Casey was still grinning. His only response was a scolding look from Sarah. "of course he is probably on the way to the hospital for a broken jaw from what I saw."

The smile on Casey's face faded as they both heard the action of a gun being worked. "Turn around, and don't you dare move." Billy had come to and had found the unaccounted for pistol in the sand near where he was lying. Casey turned to face him as Sarah continued to try to clear her vision. Billy looked at Sarah. "Shame really, I was going to show you one hell of a good time." He raised the weapon pointing it at Sarah.

Bang! A shot rang out but from off to the side of the confrontation. Billy doubled over and fell to the sand. Chuck was standing there with Julio's pistol in his hand.

Casey looking at Chuck was surprised to see that Chuck didn't seem to be shocked by his own actions. "Let me guess, it was accident."

"Hell no, that guy deserved it. He was going to shoot you two." There was no real emotion in his voice as Chuck responded.

Sarah looked at Casey with some concern before turning her attention back to Chuck. "I thought I told you to stay with your family. I told you that we would handle this, and that you needed to stay as far away as possible." Her words were harsh still reflecting the hurt he had inflicted earlier.

"It didn't look like you had it handled. It kind of looks to me like I saved your lives." Chuck was more matter of fact than sarcastic as he said this. He walked over and handed the gun to Sarah and began walking away. "I am going to the bonfire with my family, it is pretty clear that you don't need me around here," finally a hint of hurt and sarcasm breaking into his voice.

Sarah did nothing to stop him from walking away. She was even more furious with him now. He had yet again put himself in danger when she had been very clear where he should be. That, of course, was nothing new, but he had never treated her like this. He was acting as if he didn't care that his words could be hurting her. It was the complete opposite of the Chuck she knew and cared about. He had shot a man for crying out loud and had shown no remorse at all. How could killing someone not be destroying him right now? She knew that eventually he was going to be devastated by what had happened. She was the first time she shot someone and she had been trained and prepared long before it happened. _Something is just not right with this whole damn situation_. She both wanted to go make sure that he was alright, and then hit him again for how he was acting. _AAHHH! We does he get to me like this_.

"Casey, can you handle this? I should be getting back to the group before our cover is blown." Sarah asked after about 15 minutes.

Casey knew that the cover was a concern, but not Sarah's biggest at the moment, though he decided not to push her on it. "Ya, I've got this…but Walker," he added as she walked away. "Whatever happened, take it easy on the kid." Sarah nodded and continued on her way.

Sarah came walking up to Ellie and Anna as they were watching Morgan yelling instructions to Devon, who was working on starting the bonfire. Morgan said he would have gotten closer but the heat from the flames were excruciating on his sunburn.

"Hey Sarah, that alone time must have been something you look beat." Ellie smiled. "Is Chuck sleeping it off or did you outright kill him?" Ellie noticed the concern in Sarah's expression immediately.

"What do you mean; I thought Chuck was back here with you guys. I was catching up with some friends we ran into. He said he was going to come back to be with you guys a little while ago."

Ellie wasn't as nervous as Sarah since she had not witnessed Chuck's odd behavior. "He probably ran into someone he knows and just lost track of time."

"You are probably right," Sarah grinned. She had sat with Ellie and Anna for about half of an hour, becoming more and more fidgety as the time passed. Finally losing her patience she walked over to where Chuck had left his stuff, and began digging in his bag. Her face took on a disappointed look as she pulled out her hand, holding Chuck's watch. She pulled out her cell phone.

"Casey we have a problem."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews. I am going to be trying for a chapter a day for the next few days. Thanks to tshadow for the Beta. **

**Chapter 6**

Casey left another NSA agent in charge of the clean-up, and headed towards Sarah and the rest of the Bartowski bunch. He did not get close enough for anyone other than Sarah to see him.

"Guys I think I am going to walk up the beach to make sure Chuck has not been scooped up by another woman," smiling as she said so. Ellie had offered to come along, but Sarah declined telling her to stay there in case Morgan and Devon burn themselves, even though Sarah knew that Ellie was becoming concerned about Chuck as well.

Sarah met Casey just out of sight of the rest of the group. "Okay, he has to be somewhere between here and where we were with Billy." Sarah was putting on a brave face in front of Casey who didn't seem to be that upset.

"Are you sure that the kid is not off pouting somewhere?"

"I don't think so. Something has been off about Chuck today. He's not acting like himself. I think something is wrong. Either way, we just need to find him." She was both concerned and unwilling to give on this topic.

"Fine you take the area by the water and I will walk up the back of the beach. You didn't see anything when you came back after the fight."

"No, but my eyes were still bothering me. I could have missed something pretty easily."

Casey knew that she was starting to blame herself for a whole lot right now. In order to keep her from getting any more emotional than she already was, he decided to get things going, "Well we don't have much light left so we better get going."

They had walked about half-way to where the fight had taken place. Sarah had been keeping an eye on the waterfront and out in the water. She would occasionally wave to Casey who would do so in return. While she was walking she was contemplating what she was going to say or do to Chuck when they found him. Was she going to apologize or was she going to punch him in the throat. She really wasn't sure, in some ways he deserved both. She had just begun to look for Casey to wave again, when she saw him running towards a pile of sand. The anger she had been feeling had vanished instantly as the worst possible thoughts ran through her mind. She was in a dead sprint before she even knew she was moving, reaching Casey before either had reached the pile of sand. Casey was smiling when she caught him. "It looks like our boy-genius was not paying attention and fell into a hole that someone had dug." Sarah breathed a huge sigh of relief.

They continued towards Chuck. Despite her anger Sarah could not help but think of how cute he looked lying at the bottom of the hole. Chuck looked as if he were fast asleep, though as they got closer she was a little unsettled by the amount of sweat that was covering Chuck's shirt. Sarah leaned down into the hole and tried to wake Chuck by shaking his arm and saying his name. She decided that she had not forgiven him yet, and was not too worried about politely waking him up. He was covered in sweat and was burning up. When Sarah was unable to wake him she turned to Casey. "Something isn't right."

Casey quickly bent down and pulled Chuck out of the hole. "Come on we need to get him out of here." Casey picked Chuck up and carried him towards the rest of the Bartowski group. Sarah ran ahead to get Ellie and Devon. They, along with Anna and Morgan who were concerned as well, all returned towards Casey who had made it surprisingly far despite carrying Chuck.

"What's wrong with Chuck?" Ellie asked.

"We need you to tell us that," answered Sarah in as calm a voice as she could.

Anna and Morgan stood there dumbfounded. Morgan whimpered something about Chuck looking like a dead fish. Sarah was going to yell at him until she saw the horror in his face. She along with Casey, Morgan, and Anna all stood and watched as Ellie went from distraught sister to top notch doctor in mere seconds. She was checking his vitals and speaking so quickly to Devon in medical terms that no one else could understand. "He is burning up; he is at risk of slipping into a coma. If we don't get his temperature down he could suffer brain damage. We need to get him to the hospital, NOW!" Devon taking over for a tired Casey carried Chuck to the car, putting him in the back seat. Sarah jumped in the back next to him to hold his head. Ellie who had been planning on doing the same thing paused for a split second and decided not to fight it. Instead she rode shotgun while Devon drove. Ellie continued to hand Sarah their beach towels that she was rotating into the ice water that had accumulated at the bottom of the cooler. Sarah placed some of the towels on Chuck's chest and wrists and then lightly rubbed his forehead with another. Ellie could see the concern and love in Sarah's face as she watched her hold Chuck. It was a strange feeling to see another woman caring for her brother in his time of need. Though a large part of her wanted to be the one holding him, she liked seeing this side of Sarah, and loved knowing that Chuck had someone like her.

They pulled into the hospital and came to a screeching stop. Casey with Anna and Morgan were right behind them. Devon carried Chuck through the doors and met a nurse that had brought out a gurney. The next few minutes were a blur to everyone except Sarah. Everyone was doing something. Ellie and Devon were working with the on duty medical staff. Morgan was freaking out, while Anna was consoling him. Casey was on the phone with the General informing her of the situation. Everyone was doing something except her. She was just standing there unable to move. Her thoughts were consumed with their last few interactions.

Ellie finally came back out to the waiting room, where everyone else was seated. She had walked right over to Sarah, who didn't even notice her presence.

"Sarah…Sarah…Are you ok?" Ellie was speaking very gently to her. At first Sarah did not hear her question, and when she did, she did not. Her only thought came rushing out, "How is Chuck? Is he going to be okay?"

He is stable for now but his internal temperature continues to rise. "Is there anything that Chuck could have been exposed to or taken today? Did he eat anything unusual or was he acting abnormally? Is there anything you can remember, anything at all?"

"We did have a fight because he was acting strangely. He said some things that were not like him, he didn't seem to care what he said or did." Sarah realized what she was saying. Chuck had told her about the effects of the drug that Billy had most recently created. "I know what it is, or at least what it could be. Is there anyway a drug could do this?"

Ellie was looking at Sarah with concern yet skepticism. "If he were having a bad reaction to a drug, or had taken too much of a drug then it is very possible. Your not saying that Chuck is on drugs, are you?" The concern was overtaking the skepticism in Ellie's voice.

"What? Oh…no, I think someone could have slipped him something at the beach today. I saw some people taking something. That was when Chuck and I decided to leave and come back to you guys. They gave him a soda though, while we were there. They could have put something in it."

Ellie was back to being a doctor. "Do you know what it was or what it looked like?"

"I heard someone say something like wild something, or wild side. It was a little bright yellow pill."

The color drained from Ellie's face. "Ok, now that we know what it is, that might help." Her voice was very monotone as she was saying this. Ellie turned and picked up a hospital phone, dialed an extension, and passed along the information. "You call me as soon as you know anything, is that clear?"

"Ellie, tell me what is wrong. Tell me what is going on with Chuck." Sarah had inadvertently raised her voice just enough that the others in the room were now listening as well.

"Well, we have seen an increasing number of patients as the result of that drug. Most of the time they are people that are not afraid to do something stupid and they hurt themselves. But we also get a lot of people that either have a bad reaction or take too much. They have an uncontrollable fever and slip into a coma just like Chuck did." Ellie stopped and looked at the floor.

"What is it Ellie? What happens to them after that?" Sarah knew the answer but needed to hear Ellie say it.

"Most are unable to wake up from the coma and many that do have some sort of brain damage." Ellie, who was beginning to break up as she spoke, looked at Sarah who looked as if she were going to pass out. "Sarah, there have been some that have come through unharmed. You need, no we need to stay positive. You know that if anyone can come back it is Chuck." Ellie was trying to convince, not just Sarah but herself as well, as she put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Besides, he has a lot to come back to now." Though Sarah nodded to Ellie, she was unsure that Chuck would feel the same way.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Thanks again for the beta tshadow. Hope you guys like it!**

**Chapter 7**

The next few hours were the hardest of Sarah's life. That was rather impressive as she had been stabbed, shot, and tortured at different times over the years. Yet this was the most agonizing time she could ever remember. No matter what pain she was in or how bleak her survival may have looked, it would not matter because she was doing it for her county. She had not been afraid of death, if done for the greater good However; this was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She was in no danger, yet her life was being threatened. Not her physical life, but the life that she now believed that she was meant to have with Chuck. He had brought joy to her life. Genuine joy, not the short-lived rushes that she would feel while on a death defying mission. When she learned to care about Chuck, she had learned to love her life again. Now, like so many times in her past, just when she felt it was safe to trust in her feelings, safe to love again, it was being taken away again. The only thing that hurt more than knowing that she may never have that life was that the man that taught her that it was possible may be out of her life for good. As she sat there thinking of Chuck any residual anger she felt towards him for the way he had acted that day faded into nothing.

After ending his phone call with the General, Casey had been keeping an eye on Walker. He had heard her conversation with Ellie, and saw the light fade from her eyes as the realization of the seriousness of the situation set in. He knew that is was a matter of time before she would succumb to the emotions that were boiling beneath the surface. He too had been fighting his own emotional battle while sitting in the cold white waiting room. He had known that Chuck was growing on him for some time. _He was like a damn fungus that you could not get rid of_, he thought. But it was not until today that he realized that he had no desire to get rid of the fungus, no matter how annoying it could be at times. He would have felt like more of a failure for becoming attached to an asset if it weren't for the people with whom he was sharing the room. Just by looking around this room you could see the kind of man that Chuck is.

In one corner of the room you have his sister Ellie crying on her fiancé Devon's shoulder, They are two of the finest young doctors in LA, and probably the only two people in the room that even come close to Chuck's intellectual level. Chuck and Ellie had an amazing bond. They only had each other through most of their lives. Thought Ellie had taken care of Chuck through many of the years that she could have been out being young, she showed no resentment towards him. In fact it was the exact opposite. In Ellie you could see love for a good brother who cared more for his family than anyone Casey had ever met, something that he was sure Chuck had learned from her.

Lying on a bench not too far away was Morgan and Anna. Casey had seen Morgan, Chuck's best friend for going on 2 decades, as somewhat of a leech in the beginning. He now sees him as a lazy, good for nothing slacker that rides his friend's coattails, but he is also a loyal friend. He reflects the same loyalty that Chuck possesses. Chuck has been a loyal friend and leader to a crew of people far inferior to him at a job well beneath him. Yet he has never acted as if he was better than anyone of them or entitled to anything more than they are. Chuck has shown this loyalty to Casey and Sarah as well. Despite the fact that Casey had never given him reason, he has gone out of his way to befriend him. He even tried to help him with Ilsa, for no other reason than Casey was his friend. This brought a chuckle to Casey. As far as Sarah goes, Chuck's loyalty had no end. Even after repeatedly being rejected, he would run blindly into harm's way in order to keep her safe. Of course, that usually meant that she had to save him from danger, but you have to give him some credit.

Casey looked over at Sarah. Sarah may be the best example of how Chuck can affect people. Sarah Walker is a world class spy, maybe even the best there is, and even she didn't stand a chance. She has had to get close to hundreds of men in her past, but none have ever gotten to her the way Chuck has. She had fought it with every thing she had, her training, her orders, her professionalism, hell even the lead-lined brick wall she had built around her heart couldn't keep Chuck out. The goofy bastard won her over long before either of them knew what was going on. And even though Casey loved to harass her about it, he knew it was just a matter of time before they ended up together. Casey was still looking at Sarah when her strength broke under the weight of her emotions. He wanted to be there for his partner but he didn't know how. He knew that he was not good at this. He never had a reason to be. He normally would have been long gone by now, or half a bottle deep in scotch if it were any other mission, but it was not any other mission. There was no denying that.

All the training in the world could not prepare Sarah for the rush of emotions she was feeling. She felt anger, a rage like she had never felt before, for the man that had done this to Chuck. She wished that Chuck had not shot him, for that death was much quicker that he had deserved. She felt hatred towards Bryce and both agencies that were responsible for dragging such a wonderful human being into their dark world. She felt fear, a fear like none she had ever known; a fear of losing the single greatest thing to ever happen to her. Finally she felt complete and total love. The kind of love that she had heard people talk about, yet was never convinced that it even really existed. It was a love that she never knew she was capable of, let alone having someone reciprocate. Sarah began to quietly sob, the emotions overwhelming her. The defenses she had erected around her emotions tumbling down.

Casey walked over to Sarah and put his hand on her shoulder. She had been sobbing for a few minutes before Casey decided to come over. She tried to compose her self before looking up Casey, though she could not stop the tears completely. She was really only able to slow the tears long enough to make eye contact with Casey, and began breaking down again. Casey merely pulled her into him and held her close, her tears dampening his shirt. "He is going to make it you know…Kid's to damn stubborn not to." Casey said into the top of Sarah's head. She simply nodded in response.

There were a few touch and go moments over the next few hours during a couple of which Chuck's heart had actually stopped. Though he was considered stabile upon arriving at the hospital his condition had continued to take a turn for the worse for quite some time. The doctors working on Chuck had explained that someone had given him a very large dose of Wild Side, complicated by the fact that Chuck seemed to be having a violent reaction to the drug as well. Fortunately, after about 4 hours his condition seemed to stabilize, though he still remained unconscious, at which time he was taken to a private room where everyone joined him.

Chuck's primary doctor had initially allowed the entire group to be in the room at the same time, though as time went on he had decided that only a few should stay at a time. The group had argued that no one was leaving until they were sure Chuck was okay. Again the doctors placated them until then morning had come and gone, and the following evening was rapidly approaching again. Besides quick bathroom breaks, only Casey had left to get food for everyone. Sarah never left Chuck's side, holding his hand the entire day. In the early evening hours the doctor pushed the group about leaving. It had apparently been one time to many for Ellie. At that moment she stood and walked over to the doctor as calm as could be, and asked to speak to him outside the room for a moment. As the door shut everyone turned to look at Devon when they heard him mutter, "Oh man that poor dude." A few seconds later you could hear a very loud and very animated Ellie assuring her fellow doctor that "Chuck was going to be surrounded by the people that care about him and there was not a damn thing he could do about it." She added that "the conversation was over and that she would feel very sorry for the next person that tries to separate her family, including her extended family." At this Casey chuckled and leaned in whispering to Sarah, "Maybe we should sign her up."

"Don't even think about it." Chuck said in a very strained voice. Sarah had had her head resting on his chest when Casey had said this. It was close enough to the slowly waking Chuck that he had heard him. "You guys only get one Bartowski for the greater good." Chuck's voice was slowing coming back with his last statement being loud enough that everyone in room realized he was awake. Devon ran into the hallway to get Ellie. Morgan jumped from his chair dumping Anna, who had been on his lap, on the floor. Casey put his hand on Sarah's shoulder, as she had not moved with her hand still in his. Once Anna had dragged Morgan, who was whining through his tears for Chuck to, "Never do that to him again," from around Chuck's neck, Chuck was able to look at Sarah. She was wearing the largest smile he had ever seen, with tears streaming down her face.

"You are so beautiful. I mean so far all the girl spies I have met have been beautiful, but none compare to you." Chuck said without any hesitation. Sarah's eyes were as large as saucers. Casey reacted first, "Wow Bartowski that fever must have you delirious. I'll bet those were some of the best dreams you've ever had. If you are going to be telling us about them, try to keep them pg."

The rest of the people in the room all laughed causing Sarah and Casey to relax a bit. While everyone was laughing and Morgan was ranting about Sarah the sexy super-spy, Casey leaned into Sarah again, "The drugs must not be completely out of his system."

After a few moments, Chuck's doctor came into the room and looked at Ellie. "It is nice that we can all see that Mr. Bartowski is doing better." It was obvious that he feared Ellie, but was hoping to finally get his way.

Ellie took the hint and understood that further tests would have to be done now that Chuck was awake. "Okay, let's go everyone. Let's let them do their jobs, which I know they are going to do very well." She said the last phrase through gritted teeth, making it clear that she would be keeping an eye on her brother's care. Everyone was leaving the room as Chuck squeezed Sarah's hand. She stayed asking the doctor for just a moment to talk to Chuck. The doctor agreed to give them 2 minutes only, then stepped outside and shut the door.

"I am so happy to see you are okay." Chuck said looking up at Sarah.

"I think you have that backwards. I am not the one that was in a coma." Sarah chuckled as she said so.

"No I was worried about you. Who would take care of you if I wasn't here?" Sarah began to break down again as Chuck said this. It was not the first time that he had impressed her by putting her first even when he was the one in danger. This may be one of the things about Chuck that she cared for the most. "Sarah I need to tell you something, something I should have said a long time ago. I lo…"

Chuck was interrupted by Sarah putting her finger over his lips. "Chuck I want to hear whatever it is you want to tell me, but I don't want you to be telling me things because of some drug. I think it would be better for us to talk later. I will go home and inform Washington of the situation, and be back soon."

Chuck was obviously disappointed thinking that he had just been rejected yet again. "You know you are awfully hard to read. I thought that this time you really did want to hear what I was saying, but then you…" This time he was interrupted by Sarah pressing her lips against his, catching Chuck off guard. Before he was able to become too involved in the kiss, she broke away.

"Chuck, if you are going to say what I think and hope you are, I want to hear it more than anything in the world. But, for the first time in my life I want to hear it and know that it means something. I don't want that moment to be tainted, okay?" She paused long enough for Chuck to nod. "I promise you that I have some things that I need to say to you as well." She smiled at Chuck who had maintained a large goofy smile on his face since they broke the kiss. "I will come back tomorrow morning. We can talk then." She leaned and kissed him deeply, and only broke the kiss when she heard the doctor clear his throat behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Chuck was not very excited to see Sarah leave, but he was still in somewhat of a haze from their kiss as the doctors performed an array of tests.

The doctor finally broke him out of it as they were packing up to leave Chuck's room, "We will be back shortly to go through the results of your tests with you and your family. In the meantime try to get some sleep."

"Actually now that I am awake, I would kind of like to stay that way for a while." Chuck's response earned an understanding smile from his doctor.

The rest of his family came in to join him, and each took their turn joyously welcoming him "back to the land of the living," as Morgan put it. They spent the next hour laughing and feeling very relieved. The conversation was upbeat and lively. Casey was careful to make sure that Chuck didn't let the cat out of the bag about his night job, though he did take the opportunity to have some fun with Chuck.

"Chuck that reminds me, how did things go when you told Ellie that you broke that lamp she bought?" Casey looked from Chuck to his sister as he asked this, seeing the shocked expression on Ellie's face.

"I didn't tell her that I broke it. She assumed that Morgan broke it while playing games. You know how crazy he gets. I just never corrected her." Chuck said in a matter of fact way.

"Wait, is that what you were talking about when you hit me last week saying I needed to show more respect for you things. I thought you were talking about the bottle of perfume that I took from the bathroom." Morgan realized that he had said too much as soon as he said it.

"You took my perfume?"

"Yes, but I was distraught. Anna had just dumped me for the third time in two weeks. I thought that I was going to be alone forever, so I took it to spray the stuffed bear that I sleep with occasionally. I was going to put it back." Morgan then looked at Anna. "I even put the bear in a box in storage as soon as you took me back."

Casey smiled to himself as he leaned in to Chuck, "the next time you go on and on over some thing stupid like what sandwich you would take to a deserted island, I want you to remember this."

Chuck looked at the smiling Casey and shrugged his shoulders, "fair enough."

The upbeat feeling in the room had faded for everyone except, of course, Casey. The tension was just becoming unbearable when the door to the room opened and the doctor walked in.

"Mr. Bartowski, the results of your tests are in. Maybe we could speak alone." The doctor looked around the room remembering the earlier confrontations. "Or we can just go through the results together." Chuck nodded in reply. A serious look came across the doctor's face.

Sarah didn't remember much of her drive home. She felt as if she had floated there. She could not remember being in a better mood. The despair she had felt the day before now replaced with the excitement of knowing that her whole life could be changing in just a few hours. She had every intention of telling Chuck how she felt. She was going to ask him for the chance to make a relationship work. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she was pretty sure she knew what his response would be. It was an amazing feeling to know that the she had fallen for someone who wanted nothing more than to be with her and make her happy. She had just gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed for bed when her phone rang.

"Walker, have you talked to Washington yet?" Casey had not even said hello.

"And hello to you too Casey."

"Just answer the question!"

"No I haven't. You are kind of creeping me out. Is everything alright? Oh god, is Chuck ok?" Sarah was suddenly becoming very nervous.

"Yes…well no…he will be. I'll explain when you get here. Just get back to the hospital and don't contact Washington in the meantime."

Sarah's heart was racing with a million scenarios running through her mind. She didn't bother changing before leaving her room, though she was sure to grab her gun.

The drive back to the hospital was much different than her drive home had been. The sleek black Porsche remained well into the triple digits for a majority of the trip, screaming down the highway. The car came sliding to a stop in front of the hospital. Sarah did not even bother to shut the driver's side door before she ran into the hospital. She nearly ran over three older ladies and hurdled a man in a wheel chair on her way to the elevator.

Fortunately the doors were already open with only one man in the elevator. "Going up?" The middle age man asked in a friendly voice.

"Yes, 11th floor please." Sarah was a little out of breath as she leaned over with her hands on her knees.

The man reached over and pressed the button for both the 5th and the 11th floors. Sarah collected herself as the elevator slowly made its way up to the 5th floor. When the doors opened the man began to step out of the elevator but stopped with a confused look on his face. Oh, that's right she was on 5th before her delivery. It is hard to keep track of everything when you have a new baby. Everything is so aahh." He was shaking his head back and forth and waving his hands as he laughed. Sarah tried to be patient and just smiled. The man stepped back onto the elevator, and pressed the number for the 7th floor. "Oh wait I think it was the 8th." He went to push the button for the 8th floor when Sarah lost her patience. In a motion so quick that man had failed to even see her move, Sarah had grabbed the man's finger and bent it backwards. The man had an expression somewhere between shock and excruciating pain on his face. Sarah quickly realized that she may have over-reacted to the man pressing a few extra buttons, and released her grip on his finger. "Sorry, I am in a really big hurry," she said with a sheepish grin. The man repeatedly pressed the door open button. Once the door opened he ran away with a panicked look on his face. Sarah, feeling bad, called after him, "good luck with the new baby."

When Sarah finally reached Chuck's room she was relieved to find him still lying in his bed. "Is everything okay," Chuck asked as he looked up at Sarah as she came jogging into the room.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," throwing a very nasty look at Casey. "I was under the impression that something was wrong." Sarah realized that the room had been swept with an odd silence. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Well…the doctor found something on the CT scan." Chuck was hesitant as he spoke. Sarah moved to his side and took his hand, giving him the encouragement he needed. "It turns out that I have an aneurysm in my brain."

"You have a what? I mean…how?" Sarah looked at Ellie as she asked the second question.

"Well Sarah, it is very unusual but he has an aneurysm near the amygdala area of his brain. It isn't clear if it was related to the effects of the drugs or not. It is an unusual area of the brain to have an aneurysm."

"Well…," Sarah was struggling to grasp the situation as she was still flying high on adrenaline from the trip to the hospital. "What is an Amygdala?"

"It is the area of the brain that decides what memories get stored. The mind is exposed to a lot through the course of the day. Most things are not important enough to be stored in your memories. The amygdala decides what is important enough." Ellie was in doctor mode so she was able to suppress her emotions and explain the situation.

"So the drugs might not have done this?" Sarah continued to have a confused look on her face.

"We have never seen anything like this. Not even in the others that have had a reaction to the drug. It may be a new side-effect of the drug, or it could be something that is specific to Chuck." Devon jumped in to help explain.

Realizing that Chuck had some very unique characteristics about his "memories," Sarah highly doubted that this was merely a new side-effect of the drug reaction. _The flashes must have a hand in this._

"How serious is it, and what do we do about it?" Sarah was very concerned and it was very evident in her voice. Chuck couldn't help but notice both her concern and the use of "we." She was really acting like his girlfriend. He felt a warm feeling slowly work its way though his body, offsetting the chill that had over taken him ever since the doctor had broken the news.

"It is serious, but Chuck only has a grade two aneurysm. They are going to put a small coil that looks kind of like a spring into the blood vessel to keep it safe." Ellie's cool exterior faded just a bit as she spoke, leaving the rest of the group less than convinced that it was going to be that simple.

"So surgery?" Though her question was to Ellie Sarah had turned to look at Chuck, running her hand softly through his hair.

Ellie looked to Devon for help as her resolve was nearly gone, "not exactly, they are going to be able to put the coil in by going through the blood vessel in Chuck's leg."

"Wait, I saw something about that on tv the other day. I was flipping through the channels and it looked like some doctor was playing a video game so I stopped to check it out. Turns out they were doing some kind of procedure by remote control. It was awesome." Morgan was able to lighten the mood in the room a little.

"It is pretty awesome, and it is not that invasive. You are going to do great Chuckster." Devon lightly slapped Chuck on the leg.

When the rest of the group resumed comforting and reassuring Chuck, Casey pulled Sarah just outside of the room. "This situation makes you wonder what would happen to your brain when you constantly have incredible amounts of information forced though your memories, especially when some one has slipped you some kind of drug."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Thanks for calling me. I wish I could have been here when they told him." Sarah was looking through the window at Chuck. She paused before turning back to Casey. "So why were you so adamant in me not contacting Washington? This seems like something they would want to know."

"I am sure they would, but you know as well as I do that Chuck's well-being is not always their top priority. They had contacted me right after you left earlier with something that required Chuck's help." When Casey noticed the perturbed look on Sarah's Face he quickly added, "They told me that they did not expect Chuck to go anywhere or do anything but they wanted his help as the intersect. They gave me some information to run past him and see what he thought. Before I got the chance the doctor gave us the results of the test." Casey seemed to struggle with his words as he continued. "I…I just don't think that it would be a good idea to go messing around with the kid's melon when we don't know if a flash could cause anymore damage."

Sarah's face was white and expressionless. Though she had already started to speculate that the flashes may have had a hand in causing the aneurysm, she had failed to think that another flash may cause a hemorrhage and possibly cost Chuck his life. She had no words to respond so she merely nodded allowing Casey to continue.

"I told Washington that Chuck was not fully awake yet and that I would contact them as soon as there was a change. I say we wait a few hours and then tell them that the kid didn't have anything to add to the info they provided."

"That sounds like a good plan." Sarah was starting to find her words.

"I thought you would go for that, but before you agree I think you ought to know what the mission is." Casey paused taking a breath allowing Sarah to jump in.

"What could be worth risking Chuck's life?"

"Fulcrum has recently converted some higher ups. These new recruits gave them some names of a few of our deep cover agents…Walker they have Bryce." Casey looked at a very shocked Sarah as he finished with a sigh.

A/N Sorry if some of this was a little heavy in medical lingo. I am not a neurosurgeon so I have no idea how likely an aneurysm like that is or if it would progress as described. Really it is just for the story and is important for future chapters, so either way I hope you like the chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Casey was staring intently as Sarah. "You know that I really don't care what fulcrum does to Bryce, but Sarah you and Bryce…"

Sarah interrupted Casey before he could say anything further. "are finished! He knew what he was getting into. Chuck was thrown into this. We can't risk Chuck's life to save anyone, especially Bryce. He's the one that got Chuck into this in the first place." Casey smiled as he saw Sarah show the loyalty to Chuck that he was hoping to see. His reaction caused Sarah to become somewhat angry, "Is there something funny that I missed?"

"No, it is just good to see that you have finally figured some things out…now that we are on the same page I think I have idea of how we can get the pretty boy out of trouble without involving Chuck." Casey had a much more serious look on his face.

While Casey and Sarah were outside of Chuck's room, Ellie convinced Devon to take Morgan and Anna to the cafeteria to get something to eat. She had wanted some time to speak with her brother. She had done very well at maintaining her composure throughout the ordeal, but now wanted nothing more than to just be Chuck's sister. When it was finally just the two of them Ellie allowed her strong confident posture to relax as she sat on the bed next to Chuck.

"You really had me scared there little brother. I don't know what I would do without you." Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.

Chuck, who had always hated to see Ellie cry, leaned forward and took his sister into a loving embrace. "Come on Ellie, you know that the lack of blood flow to my brain really wouldn't hurt me." His attempt to lighten the mood worked slightly, though it was more the fact that he was sitting there smiling at Ellie than his joke that had helped Ellie relax.

"That is true," she laughed. "Besides these days you seem to have an awful lot to come back to."

"Ya, the Buy More would be lost without me." The sarcasm in Chuck's voice was apparent. Chuck had always been hurt by the fact that he had done so much good for the last year and was not able to share it with the only person whose opinion of him had ever mattered. This had caused him to feel very self conscious about his so called real-life and how little he had accomplished in it.

"Well thanks a lot I guess all the people that refused to leave your side don't count then." Ellie was still playful but there was obvious hurt in her voice as well.

"I'm sorry Ellie I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I really appreciate you guys being her for me. I know that I have the best sister and friends in the world." Chuck said sincerely.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Ellie asked. "You know, your girlfriend."

"Oh ya…I know I am lucky." His voice was unable to hide the confusion he felt about Sarah.

"What is wrong with you? She is great and after the way she has been there for you the last few days, I can't believe you are still unsure how she feels about you."

"Ellie, she is hard to read sometimes. You just don't understand the whole story."

"Chuck I may not know the whole story, which I would love to hear sometime by the way, but I know the way she looks at you. I know the way she refused to leave your side even in the car on the way to the hospital, and I know the way she cried when we thought we might lose you. I don't know what all she is feeling, but I can tell you one thing she feels, and that's love."

Chuck knew that Ellie had always liked Sarah and this was definitely not the first time that she had tried to convince Chuck about Sarah's feelings. He wanted to listen, and after the conversation that he and Sarah had started just a few hours earlier he was feeling a little more hopeful. He just couldn't help but fear that he was going to be hurt again.

The door to Chuck's room slowly opened as Sarah peaked her head in. "Is it okay for me to come in?"

"Speak of the devil. We were just talking about you," Ellie laughed as she stood and walked toward the door. "Come in. I think you guys may need a minute." Before Ellie left, Chuck saw her posture change. She was standing taller and had reassumed the authoritative look on her face that Chuck knew was her doctor face. "I will be back to check on you soon. I am going to go check when you are scheduled for your procedure. She held the door for Sarah and then closed it behind her as she left.

Sarah smiled and walked towards Chuck's bed. She walked past the chair at his side that she had been in for countless hours and moved to his bed and sat down taking his hand. "So Chuck what were you saying about me?" She had slowly started rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

Chuck was smiling both at her and at Ellie through the window. "Oh, nothing really, just trying to decide which of bond girl you most remind us of." Chuck smiled as he lied.

"Really Chuck, what are you smiling at?" Sarah pleaded, curiosity getting the better of her.

I guess I never realized how similar you and Ellie are. She is no super spy pretending to be the slushy serving girlfriend of the head of the nerd herd, but she leads two lives too."

Sarah was intrigued with where Chuck was taking this. "Go on."

"Well she is so warm and caring at home, and even though she is very caring with her patients, she hides her emotions so differently when she is Dr. Bartowski…" Sarah had started to pull away from Chuck stopping him in mid thought. He tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her back towards him. "She does so because she needs to protect her patients." Chuck paused because he both wanted Sarah to understand what he was saying, and because he was afraid to continue. "Sarah I know that you have been trying so hard to show that you really do care about me. I think I am just now beginning to see that I may not have been the only one going through a rough time. Sarah what I am trying to say is that I…"

Sarah leaned in and kissed him as she realized what Chuck was saying.

Chuck fell deeply into the kiss, and as Sarah finally pulled away he chuckled. "Though I love the kissing, we may have to work on some other form of communication."

"I just wanted to stop you. You have always been the one that was free with his feelings. I want to go first this time." Sarah took a few moments before she could continue. Chuck was very patient, after all he was about to hear what he had wanted to hear for over a year. "Chuck I may not always, or even ever, know the right thing to say, but I need you to understand that I have never in my life felt about anyone the way I do you. The last few days, feeling like I had missed my chance with you, and then almost losing you completely were the worst days of my life…Chuck I love you." Sarah was looking down at their entwined hands. Putting her feelings into words was incredibly difficult for her and Chuck knew so. She had never put herself out there like this before. She was filled with excitement that she had finally been able to say these words to Chuck, as well as fear that she was going to be rejected.

"So what you are saying is if I would have played hard to get then nearly died a year ago, you would have come around a lot sooner." The joy that Chuck felt was indescribable. He felt like his heart was going to leap straight out of his chest. Sarah looked up at him with a smile on her face. Though she was still anxiously waiting for him to say something more, she could hear the joy in his voice. She merely slapped him on the arm and let him continue. "Sarah I love you more than any man has ever loved a woman in the history of the world, and I have since the day I met you. I have wanted to hear you say this to me for so long, and now that you have I have to say…It is about time."

Sarah acted like she was going to slap Chuck again causing him to raise his hands to defend himself. When he did this Sarah instead threw her arms around him and kissed him. The kiss was deep and passionate. It was not as hurried or desperate as their first kiss on the docks, but it was filled with love and emotion. It was by far the greatest kiss that either Sarah or Chuck had ever experienced. When the kiss ended Sarah was breathless and Chuck was light-headed. Sarah looked very concerned as Chuck reached up and grabbed his forehead.

Seeing the concern on Sarah's face Chuck smiled and reassured her, "No leaky blood vessels or anything, just a little dizzy after having a year's worth of build-up finally pay off. I don't think I would have been ready for that even before our run-in with good ole Billy Wave." Chuck's smile had faded a small amount at the mention of Billy's name.

"Chuck, I know that Billy's death must be hard on you. If you want to talk about it I am here." Sarah slowly rubbed Chuck's cheek as he deflected his eyes down to the bed.

"I finally get you to tell me you love me and I have to go and ruin the moment by bringing up a dead bad guy." Chuck said with disgust.

"Hey, if anyone knows what you are going through it would be me. And besides, it is the job of a real girlfriend to be there when things get rough." Sarah couldn't help but smile when she referred to herself as Chuck's girlfriend. Even though she had been doing so on and off for the past year, it felt so different now. Chuck had not missed the importance of the moment either, as he looked up and managed a half smile.

"Ever since the first time I witnessed you and Casey shoot a bad guy I had always wondered what it would be like to have to shoot someone, what would I feel? It is nothing like I thought. I mean it all kind of feels like a dream. Because of the drugs it is all kind of fuzzy and I can't remember everything, but I can't get him out of my head. I keep seeing his face and then seeing him drop to the sand."

"Chuck you did what you had to do. You saved both Casey's and my life."

"I know, and I think if I were in a situation where someone was going to hurt you I would probably do the same thing, high on drugs or not, but I hate knowing that I killed someone. What if there was someone out there that didn't know what he did and they loved him."

"Chuck…I know what you are feeling and no matter what I say this is something we are going to have to work out for a little while. But I want you to focus on the positives. You directly saved the lives of two people and probably thousands more indirectly by taking him and his drugs off the street. You can drive yourself crazy with this, if you allow yourself. I have seen it happen."

Her words had meant a lot to Chuck, and he was starting to feel at least a little better about the situation. There was just one more thing that he needed to say. "I know this may sound stupid but I don't want you to look at me differently," Chuck was able to vocalize one the things that worried him the most after shooting Billy.

Sarah smiled at Chuck, "Chuck I am going to see you a little differently. You did something that was difficult for me to do even after the best training the CIA could offer.

You went above and beyond anything anyone ever could have ever asked you to just to protect me. I look at you and still see the sweet innocent man that I fell for, but I also see my hero, the man that would do anything to keep me safe."

Chuck looked at Sarah with love in his eyes, "I thought you never knew the right thing to say?"

"I guess I'm going to get used to this girlfriend thing faster than I thought," she answered with a smile. She then looked over at the window to see Morgan pressing his forehead against the glass. I think there are some others that want to come back in." As she started to stand up Chuck pulled her hand one more time.

"Like I said, I don't really remember everything that happened at the beach, but there was one other thing I need to ask you about." Chuck was hesitant as he spoke. Sarah thought she knew what he was about to ask but let him squirm a little before he continued. "I kind of remember saying some thing to you before you hit me, but I can't remember what I said."

Sara leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and then whispered in his ear. "You did say some thing and I do plan on making you pay for it, but not tonight." She pulled away with a sinister smile on her face and walked towards the door.

Chuck was mumbling as he thought out loud as something came to him. "Did it have anything to do with a pimp?"

Sarah turned and chuckled, "Like I said you will pay, but not tonight."

Sarah opened the door allowing Morgan to run into the room. She waited outside to speak to Casey.

"Did you tell him what is going on?" Casey asked pointing towards Chuck.

"I couldn't, not yet at least. We won't be able to move ahead with the plan for a little while anyway. We can tell him when we have to. Until then, we let him rest," Sarah was expression was very sad as she replied.

Let me know what you think. Thanks for the reviews.

To be continued in the next episode. Chuck vs The Fatal Flash?


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